On the design of a biopsy needle-holding robot for a novel breast biopsy robotic navigation system

Nowadays, breast cancer is the most common female cancer worldwide. The widely use of mammogram and ultrasound (US) increases the possibility to detect the nonpalpable lesions. Core needle biopsy (CNB) under US guidance for the lesions detected on US is the procedure of choice to retrieve tissue for histopathologic study, resulting in appropriate treatment planning. This procedure requires skill and experience of radiologist in order to obtain the sufficient tissue for accurate histopathologic diagnosis. Our new breast biopsy guidance system comprises of a passive robotic needle and its graphical user interfaces: GUI on MATLAB and 3D Slicer interface based on real-time data from optical tracking system. The passive robot consists of 5 DOFs; the first and the second DOFs are for translation curvature, the third and fourth DOFs are for rotation motions, and the fifth DOF is for needle insertion. The robot is designed based on breast features, and its movements are based on friction method. The robot has high tensile strength and good impact resistance due to Polyoxymethylene (POM) or Polyacetal is used as its material. The experimental results have shown very high success rates to perform simulated breast biopsy, and the robot can increase the accuracy and proficiency of needle insertion.